Many vehicle seats have been provided with reclining mechanisms whereby the backrest portion of the vehicle seat is pivoted in some controlled fashion with respect to the seat portion. The obvious benefit from this is to enhance the fit of the vehicle seat to the operator, thereby enabling the operator to more effectively perform the function of controlling the vehicle.
Generally to date recliner mechanisms have been mounted to one side of the vehicle seat. Because that side of the backrest is secured more firmly to the seat portion, when operators push against the backrest to cause it to pivot backwardly with respect to the seat portion, the backrest tends to twist about the long axis of the recliner mechanism side of the backrest. Similar twisting motions are imparted when operators push on or against the backrest when they enter or exit the seat, boost themselves up into an overhead sleeper or the like.
To counter the aforementioned twisting, to prevent binding of the vehicle seat, generally backrests have been beefed up with transverse support structures. At least one seat has been equipped with recliner mechanisms disposed on both sides. The general result of these measures has been to bulk up the vehicle seat.